World War II Database

George H. W. Bush enlisted for military service after the US entry into WW2 in Dec 1941, becoming a naval aviator in 1943. He flew 58 combat missions and won several decorations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was shot down in 1944 near Chichijima of the Ogasawara Islands (unofficially "Bonin Islands") and was rescued by submarine USS Findback. After the war, he ventured into business and then politics, becoming the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Chief Liaison to Communist China, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Vice President, and finally the President of the United States in 1989. He would become the last US President who was also a WW2 veteran. He passed away in his home in Houston, Texas, United States on 30 Nov 2018.

For more information:
NPR: Former President George H.W. Bush Dies At 94
WW2DB: George Bush